An intimate musical soirée with delightful anecdotes, celebrating the lives of two complex, multifaceted and accomplished female writers.
Part of Playground Theatre’s Women’s Voices festival – three weeks of celebration in commemoration of International Women’s Day – was the ‘Music and Words’ evening about Austen and Colette on the evening of the 22nd of March. The evening centred around the two writers and how their respective lives and art were influenced by music. To perform relevant works, soprano Katharine Dain and pianist Maggie Cole lent their expertise, while renowned actor Harriet Walter recited stories, anecdotes and recollections by the two writers throughout the evening.
The first act of the night focuses on Austen and transports the audience to late 1700s England – the backdrop of Austen’s world. We learn of the social aspect and significance of musical practice in the late 18th-century high society, as well as the writer’s own inclination towards piano as a keen domestic keyboard player. With countless portrayals of the importance music practice plays in all of Austen’s novels – especially when it comes to courtship – Walter gives an entertaining and charming performance, reading excerpts from Austen’s works and sharing amusing anecdotes that highlight the central role of music in the lives and relationships of her characters. To compliment Walter, Dain and Cole alternate the readings with short and sweet pieces by Haydn, Cramer, and Gluck, among others. With neat and pianistic melodies, Cole gives a charming rendering of the songs, while Dain puts on a playful attitude in her interpretation. A sweet and well-executed blending of music and narrative to bring to life the intricate relationship between melody, manners, and romance in Austen’s time.
The second act is dedicated to Colette and the French musical world of La Belle Époque. Colette – working as a music hall singer and entertainer during her ‘Vagabond’ years – later in life produced a musical based on her 1944 novel Gigi, with no other than the then-unknown Audrey Hepburn as the titular heroine. Evidently, there is a rich musical culture to delve into in this second act, and with anecdotes from Colette’s life in reference to Debussy and Ravel, there is a captivating exploration of the artistic connections that defined the era. Poulenc’s Les Chemins de l’Amour stands out among the other ‘chansons’ in the programme as a striking performance that engages the audience and bridges the gap between classical song and cabaret performance.
Not necessarily a sensational achievement, the performance of the night was, all the while, suited to the intimate space created by a shared appreciation for artistry and music – a coming-together to celebrate two of the most esteemed writers of all time. Both practising musicians, it turns out the musical world saturated their art in ways that shaped not only their own works, but the entire current of literary (and musical) innovation to come.